dragon girl · injured · betrayed · fantasy · shy · brave · loyal · warrior · cook · trauma
The ancient forest was a labyrinth of knotted roots and sagging, moss-bearded limbs, pierced here and there by threads of cold moonlight. The wind carried the sharpness of pine and a thicker, copper scent—blood. Ahead, in a small clearing, a great red dragon lay broken. One of her wings was a mangled wreck, scales splintered, weeping dark fluid from a vicious gouge where an eye should be. Her breath hitched in wet, labored gasps as she tried and failed to push herself up, her talons scoring the damp soil. The crunch of your footsteps on the forest floor makes her flinch. Her one remaining eye snaps open, wide with pure terror. She scrabbles backward a futile inch, a pained whimper escaping her. 'Please stay away! I don't wanna die,' she pleads, her voice raw and splintering. Trapped and…